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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26452309">Who am I? (a Blight, of course, a Blight at heart)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smokestarrules/pseuds/Smokestarrules'>Smokestarrules</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Owl House (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(no I cant), ANYWAYS Amity is baby, DENNYS @ 3AM I JUST WANNA TALK, F/F, Gen, Idk what happened, Luz is perfect, SO, also nothing new, bc she got her NEGATIVE covid test results, but thats nothing new, but trying, chad blight can just go die too ig, emira and edric are JERKS but they're trying ig so, i can explain, its so soft, karen blight can catch THESE FISTS ISTG, they're good, this is dedicated to my discord buddy Ayala btw, this was supposed to be like 4k words long i, while I was making these tags, will never be over writing luz from amity's POV bc she's just .... so in love, willow and amity are... awkward</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:40:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,181</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26452309</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smokestarrules/pseuds/Smokestarrules</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An hour and a half later, Amity starts finishing up, and then she’s done. She avoids the nervousness and immediately looks at the closest mirror. The person in the mirror blinks back at her.</p>
<p>Her hair is green. </p>
<p>That shouldn’t surprise her; she’s just been dyeing it green, but. For some reason, looking at herself strikes her dumb. She looks like a whole other person. The brown had made her look soft and gentle, but the new color gives her an air of power. She looks strong, and intelligent, and like someone who would one day become a member of the Emperor’s Coven. She looks different, although she’s not sure if that’s a good thing or not. </p>
<p>….She looks like a Blight.</p>
<p>Or;</p>
<p>Did i just write an entire 12k fic after a throwaway line of Karen Blight liking her children to be “color-coordinated”? maybe so</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amity Blight &amp; Edric Blight &amp; Emira Blight, Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Willow Park &amp; Amity Blight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>471</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Who am I? (a Blight, of course, a Blight at heart)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Blights go to a party. That’s normal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Father disappears practically the moment they enter the room, making a beeline for the tables of food. He’s never particularly enjoyed nights of </span>
  <em>
    <span>flaunting their riches </span>
  </em>
  <span>around as much as Mother; he just likes to eat and drink the night away. Sometimes Amity joins him, but Mother’s got a stern grip on the small of her back and that means she’s not excused, not yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Edric and Emira follow Mother along with her, and Amity realizes they’re heading straight for another older woman across the room. She’s got </span>
  <em>
    <span>five </span>
  </em>
  <span>eyes, peculiar for even the Boiling Isles. Amity wonders if she’s from out of town.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Karen!” The woman cries, and hurries over to put her hand on Mother’s shoulder. “It’s been so long!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity tunes out. Mother has let go of her now, but she still needs permission to leave, and to interrupt the conversation would be to wish for death. She instead casts her gaze around, trying to see anything interesting around her. Nothing; just a bunch of old people talking and eating. Amity sighs. Edric and Emira are talking amongst themselves, and though she’s bored, she doesn’t bother them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s like that for the next five minutes, and then the woman looks down at her and says, “oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Karen, </span>
  </em>
  <span>is </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>yours, too?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm, Amity?” With a sudden </span>
  <em>
    <span>yank, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mother pulls her out from behind her brother. “Ah, yes, she’s mine as well. She’s two years younger than the twins. Her birthday is tomorrow, actually.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, hi, sweetie,” the woman says, crouching down slightly and giving Amity a smile. Amity nods stiffly back, eight </span>
  <em>
    <span>(almost nine!)</span>
  </em>
  <span> years old and already polite to a fault. “Happy early birthday!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am, thank you,” she says. She resists the urge to look up at Mother; </span>
  <em>
    <span>did I do good? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Vaguely behind her, she hears Ed and Em start to wander off. Mother just lets them, of course. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman laughs - and, should Amity know her name? Oh, thorns, had she already said it? Had Amity missed it? - and gives her another wide smile. It makes Amity feel weird; she doesn’t like it. “Oh, so polite,” the woman says with a wink. “Karen, you’ve done so well with her. Your other two are… pieces of work sometimes, aren’t they?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother gives her </span>
  <em>
    <span>other elite inbound </span>
  </em>
  <span>laugh, and Amity wants to leave, but the grip on her arm hasn’t lessened. “Oh, yes, they can be difficult, but they’re perfect Blights when it comes down to it.” She tilts her head with that perfect smile of hers. “All of my children are perfect Blights.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other woman nods with a serene look on her face. “I must admit, though, if I saw young Amity all alone in the market, I would not have connected that she was one of yours. She takes after her father, I see.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, that,” Mother says, and Amity’s stomach drops like a stone at </span>
  <em>
    <span>the</span>
  </em>
  <span> tone. She doesn’t know what’s coming, not really, but she </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>recognize the way she’s speaking. Like this is something Amity will need to take to heart. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The</span>
  </em>
  <span> tone is reserved for Amity and Amity alone; and it’s always a moment in which Amity realizes yet another way she’s failed her parents. “Yes, the hair is a little </span>
  <em>
    <span>deceiving, </span>
  </em>
  <span>isn’t it? I will say that I was a bit disappointed when she was younger and it started coming in. The Blight’s green is, dare I say, traditional. But, unfortunately, her father’s genes proved too strong for her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Uncomfortable, Amity reaches up to tug self-consciously at one of her brunette locks. “Ah, yes,” the other woman agrees, “it really is a shame she doesn’t have green. She would look so </span>
  <em>
    <span>cute </span>
  </em>
  <span>next to her siblings if so. Such a shame.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity swallows. Acting casual, she reaches up to tug on Mother’s sleeve. Mother turns to her, and the glint in her golden eyes makes her even more unsettled. “May I be excused?” She asks, careful not to show anything on her face. “I’ll go join Father by the table.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother heaves a sigh, as if this is the worst thing Amity could’ve asked. “Yes, you may,” she says, shaking her head at the woman as if they’re sharing some secret. “Go on, then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Mother,” Amity says, and then she’s gone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the night goes by in a flash. Father is preferable to Mother’s company; all he ever does is people-watch and sip wine. It’s boring, but at least it’s not painful. Ed tries to talk to her on their way home, but she just ignores him. The words are still swimming around in her mind, and she can’t think of anything else. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It really is a shame she doesn’t have green. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They keep her up at night. </span>
</p>
<p><span>Would Mother like her more if her hair was green? Would she treat her like Ed or Em; lose the overbearing personality and allow Amity to </span><em><span>breathe </span></em><span>every once in a while? Does she think of Amity as a failure because</span> <span>her hair is like her fathers? It sounds ridiculous, but Amity’s never been able to think of any </span><em><span>other </span></em><span>reason why her mother is harder on her than her siblings.</span></p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The Blights’ green is, dare I say, traditional.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity doesn’t like this train of thought. When they get home, she goes straight to bed. In the morning, everything will make sense, she decides. Besides, she’ll get to see Willow tomorrow! She’d invited her to her birthday party </span>
  <em>
    <span>(her first ever) </span>
  </em>
  <span>and even if her parents had also invited </span>
  <em>
    <span>Boscha and Skara, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she’s sure that Willow will make her feel better. Willow </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>makes her feel better. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So she goes to sleep excited, hoping to forget all about her issues with her hair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(And then, of course, the next day is when everything goes to hell, and it ends with Willow unable to be her friend anymore)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(It’s the worst night of Amity’s life)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And afterwards it all, the words of her mother still stick in her mind. As far as she knows, she’s positive Ed and Em had never been forced to abandon a friend. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why? Why is she so different?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(If her hair was green, would she still have been forced to ostracize Willow?)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even now, three months later, she can’t stop thinking about it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Why does it matter so much?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>;;</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She works up the courage to ask her mother about it, once. That’s how badly it bothers her. There’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>no way </span>
  </em>
  <span>she can talk to the twins about it, and Father wouldn’t understand. “Good afternoon Mother,” she greets, ever polite as she comes into her mother’s study. “May I come in?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you need something, dear?” Mother says. She doesn’t look up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity swallows, but she’s trying not to be the coward she knows she is. “Do you think I look like a Blight?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Now </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mother meets her eyes. Amity struggles to maintain her neutral expression, but she manages it. She is her mother’s daughter, after all. “What brought this on, dear?” There’s a gleam in her eye; Mother </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And she knows Amity knows that. But Amity doesn’t give her the satisfaction of confirming her own weakness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just thinking,” she says instead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm.” Mother leans back in her seat, studying Amity for a long moment. Amity tries not to tremble. This is a bad idea; she should’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>come in here. Mother’s not going to give her the answer she wants, if she gives her an answer at all. Finally, Mother speaks up, “I think you look very much like a Blight, Amity. Your expression tells me everything I need to know about you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s no use; Mother already knows the exact problem that’s bothering her. Amity lets go of the last of her dignity. “Even if I look different?” The words come out softer than they’d meant to, full of </span>
  <em>
    <span>weakness,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and she flinches. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thorns. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mother’s gaze hardens. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I believe you do stick out a bit, yes, but that can always be improved on,” she says it casually, like she’s not stabbing Amity in the heart with every word. “Does that answer your question, dear? I have work to do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No you don’t, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity thinks, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re off today. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She doesn’t say that, of course, she doesn’t have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>death wish.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Thank you, Mother,” she says, and turns to leave. Her shoulders slump minutely; she doesn’t know what she’d expected. Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course </span>
  </em>
  <span>that’s all Mother would have had to say. She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so stupid..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amity?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity halts in the doorway. She looks back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother is watching her leave, and there’s a new gleam in her eyes. It’s different, but it makes Amity feel just as bad as the others. “Yes, Mother?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you’re so worried about it not looking like a Blight, why don’t you think of ways to make yourself feel more like one?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>;;</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s a portrait of the entire family hanging just above the grand staircase, which also means it’s situated right next to Amity’s room. She walks past it multiple times every day. And, every day, she tries to avoid looking at it. It’s not a bad picture, of course, the Blight family are amazing in pictures, of course, but it’s just. Amity sticks out like a sore thumb </span>
  <em>
    <span>(of course)</span>
  </em>
  <span> and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>hates </span>
  </em>
  <span>it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ed and Em are, of course, perfect-looking. They stand in front of Mother, one on each side and slightly in front of their parents, like the perfect twins they are. Father stands behind them, beside Mother, and Amity makes up the front. She’d been only seven when the picture was taken, and so she barely comes up to the twins’ chests. They’re both tall for their ages, yet another thing they like to lord over her head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And she just looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>off. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Even Father, who has the same hair color as she, fits in the photo, blending into the background with a practiced ease. But Amity, front and center, just looks like she’s the family servant, for all she looks like a Blight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeah.... Amity doesn’t really like the picture. It just reminds her of how much of a failure she is. Usually, she just avoids looking at it altogether. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, today, something about it captures her attention. She’s just finished dinner, and the twins are out sleeping over at someone’s house, so she doesn’t expect to see anyone until school tomorrow. She allows herself to really look at it, even if the longer she does, the tighter the knot in her stomach twists. She just looks so… different compared to the others. She sticks out, and not in a good way, no matter what she does. Even if she becomes the top most Abomination expert on the Boiling Isles, she knows it won’t be enough for her mother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity goes back to her room and tries not to think about it anymore. Instead, she cracks open the First Azura book and starts reading. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She doesn’t get very far.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If her hair was green… her mother wouldn’t pick on her as much. She would look more like a Blight, and maybe even the twins would respect her more. If her hair was green, she would fit in more with her family. Maybe even feel like they </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>a family. If her hair was green, maybe her life would be that much better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But she doesn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even against everything, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>likes </span>
  </em>
  <span>her natural hair color. Willow had told her once that it made her look friendly, whereas her brother and sister give off a more cool air. But Blights </span>
  <em>
    <span>aren’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>friendly, and Amity is no exception. She’s a Blight, through and through, and if..</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And if she needs to look the part in order to act like it, then so be it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(If she has green hair, she’ll look kind of like the Good Witch Azura)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>There. </span>
  </em>
  <span>That’ll be the way she sells it to herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she’s not changing her hair to be like her mother, she’s changing her hair to be like her </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hero. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>...Right. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>;;</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity can’t believe how inexpensive even good hair dye turns out to be, even for a </span>
  <em>
    <span>rich </span>
  </em>
  <span>girl like her. She almost wishes it </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> more pricey; maybe then, she’d be too intimidated to go through with it. It’s delivered instantly to her window that very night, and, for a while, she just sits and stares at it. It’s already midnight, and she has school tomorrow. She should already be asleep, but she’s not tired.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knows if she doesn’t do this now, she never will. She’s a coward like that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity picks up the box. Reads the instructions once, twice, three times.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then she starts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It takes her a few tries; she doesn’t want to ruin her hair, and she wants to get this right. But eventually she figures out the movements she’s supposed to be using, and, after that, it’s all easy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Uncomfortably </span>
  </em>
  <span>easy. Amity continues, though, and as she works, she doesn’t allow herself to think about what she’s doing. Not until she’s done. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She takes a break and looks at the time when she’s halfway done. 3:47 am. She’s not getting any sleep tonight. That’s fine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An hour and a half later, Amity starts finishing up, and then she’s done. She avoids the nervousness and immediately looks at the closest mirror. The person in the mirror blinks back at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her hair is green. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That shouldn’t surprise her; she’s just been </span>
  <em>
    <span>dyeing it green, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but. For some reason, looking at herself strikes her dumb. She looks like a whole other person. The brown had made her look soft and gentle, but the new color gives her an air of power. She looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>strong, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and intelligent, and like someone who would one day become a member of the Emperor’s Coven. She looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>different, </span>
  </em>
  <span>although she’s not sure if that’s a good thing or not. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>….She looks like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Blight.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You look like a Blight,” Boscha says later that morning, when she sees it for the first time, and even as her stomach twists uncomfortably, Amity beams at the comment. She looks like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Blight. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>She looks like a Blight!!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That day at school, despite her complete lack of sleep, it feels like she’s walking on air. Classmates stop and stare as she walks down the hallways, but she doesn’t let their eyes bother her. She knows the attention is all positive. Even some of her teachers give her a congratulatory word for her new look. And, even considering the… </span>
  <em>
    <span>odd </span>
  </em>
  <span>circumstances in which she decided to color her hair in the first place, she slowly starts to forget about that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Honestly, the change is </span>
  <em>
    <span>laughable. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At Hexside, she immediately gets more respect. People would always scurry out of her way, of course, but now, they give her an even wider air. Classmates stand up straighter when they talk to her; less people are confident enough to ask her out. If anything, the hair gives her more time alone without people bothering her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(She spots Willow down a hallway, during fourth period. Willow looks at her for a long moment before shaking her head and walking away. Amity doesn’t know how to feel about that)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time she gets home, the twins are waiting for her at the door. No doubt they’d heard the rumors at Hexside, but they hadn’t seen her yet. Amity </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>enjoy the way their eyes get wide in sync when she comes into view. Edric is all smiles and, “yo! Lil’ Mittens has some style after all!” But Emira doesn’t seem happy. Amity stares back at her, daring her to say something, and, to her surprise, her older sister backs down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Looks good, kid,” she says instead, but her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “You look like mom.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And the way she says it, like it’s a bad thing, rubs Amity the wrong way, because it’s the best compliment she’s ever been given in her life. “Thank you,” she says to them both, and she heads inside. Father is in the entry hall, reading a book, and when she enters the room, he looks up. Blinks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amity?” He says. Amity pauses, turning to face him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Father?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He blinks again, slower this time, like he’s trying to figure something out. Finally, he says, “..is there something different about you today?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity’s heart sinks, but she covers it up with a polite nod. Honestly, the fact that he even noticed </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>is enough for her. Her father isn’t the most observant witch on the Isles. “I dyed my hair, Father,” she tells him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He frowns. “Oh,” he says, and then, “it wasn’t like that before?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She swallows. “No, it wasn’t.” They sit there in an awkward silence for a moment, and then he shrugs, going back to his newspaper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it looks nice on you, darling.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Father,” Amity says, and she leaves, dismissed. That hadn’t exactly been the reaction she’d hoped for, but it was fine. This whole thing isn’t really about Father, anyway; this is all about Mother. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mother </span>
  </em>
  <span>won’t be getting home until later today, but Amity has a plan. Usually on days Mother has to work, Amity goes downstairs to greet her for the day and to help her if she needs it. The twins say she’s being a </span>
  <em>
    <span>goody two-shoes, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but she doesn’t see the problem in it. And, besides, the twins never have to do something specifically to get any kind of positive attention from Mother like she does.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(She’s not bitter)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So she spends the time studying and doing homework </span>
  <em>
    <span>(and looking anxiously at the time every two minutes) </span>
  </em>
  <span>and by the time Mother comes home, she’s worked herself up so much that she almost wants to never leave her room again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because </span>
  <em>
    <span>what if Mother doesn’t like it?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then she hears the tell-tale sound of the massive </span>
  <em>
    <span>(and impractical) </span>
  </em>
  <span>doors to the Blight Manor rumble open. Then, the sound of her Mother’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>(also impractical) </span>
  </em>
  <span>heels clicking on the floor. Amity gets to her feet and leaves her room. She tries not to shake as she goes, but she can’t fully control it. She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrified. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Still, she heads downstairs as best as she can. Mother is already in her study, and Amity only gives herself one second to breathe before appearing in the doorway. Best to get this over with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good afternoon, Mother,” she greets. Her throat feels dry as her mother glances up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, Amity-” for a moment, Mother’s eyes go wide. But the reaction is short-lived, and she’s got her neutral face back in place faster than she can blink. “Have a good day at school, dear?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Mother,” Amity says. The excitement is bubbling under her skin; this is the true test.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Mother doesn’t mention the change. Instead, she makes small talk for a few minutes as she unpacks her bag from work. Finally, she says, “oh- Amity, dear, would you mind going to the cook and ask them if they could make some Apple’s Blood pies for dessert tonight? I think that sounds </span>
  <em>
    <span>marvelous.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Mother,” Amity says again, and she turns to leave. Her shoulders ache to slump - disappointment weighing them down - but she forces herself to stand up straight. </span>
  <em>
    <span>(ha) </span>
  </em>
  <span>Telling herself </span>
  <em>
    <span>it’s fine </span>
  </em>
  <span>if Mother doesn’t acknowledge it, she starts to head out of the room. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s fine.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And, Amity-” Mother’s voice compels her to look back. She’s hit with déjà vu from their last encounter; but this time, it ends differently. Mother gives her an </span>
  <em>
    <span>approving</span>
  </em>
  <span> nod. “I like the hair.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And- </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Amity-</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She forces herself to keep to her poker face. She can’t show weakness, not in front of </span>
  <em>
    <span>her. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But her insides are trembling. She manages to spit out a polite, “thank you, Mother,” but as soon as she’s sure she’s out of earshot, she breaks into a sprint and runs to her room. She’s shaking, she realizes idly, and the blood in her ears is pumping so quickly that everything else sounds muffled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She drops onto the bed, double-checking that her door is closed. Then, once she’s certain she’s safe, she allows herself to let go. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s full of so much adrenaline. Mother </span>
  <em>
    <span>approved. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mother </span>
  <em>
    <span>likes her hair. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity can’t help her wide grin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That settles it; the green is staying. As long as it can put </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>look on her mother’s face, anything is worth it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Anything </span>
  </em>
  <span>is worth her mother’s approval. Amity would bend over backwards to see it again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She remembers, vaguely, that she still needs to go and speak to the cooks. If dinner is served without Apple’s Blood pies, everything she’s just accomplished will go down the drain. She stands up, hoping that she looks composed enough to have a normal conversation with someone. She starts to head downstairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Mother had liked it)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(!!!)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>;;</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so, it stays that way for the next five years. She dyes it whenever brown starts to show again, and, after a while, it just becomes routine. It becomes part of her system; just another sacrifice to make in order to be the </span>
  <em>
    <span>best. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It’s a sacrifice she’s willing to make. And, eventually, it gets to the point when it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>a sacrifice anymore, simply because she doesn’t know anything different than green.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(She forgets what she looks like with brown hair)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some things change. Lilith Clawthorne offers to train her; </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lilith Clawthorne, leader of the Emperor’s Coven. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She stops playing Grudgby. She never gives Willow another kind word. Some things change, but not her. Amity stays the same; cold and ahead and untouchable and, most of all, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Blight. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mother and Father don’t change, not much, but that doesn’t stop her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Won’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>stop her. She’ll get their approval, one way or the other. The twins get worse; the occasional going too far in teasing becomes an every-day occurrence. She’s not sure why, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter. She finds the secret room in the library, a place to hide away from her home, and she loves it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then, when she’s fourteen, the Titans decide that she’s had it too easy. That she needs to have some more stress in her life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because then Luz the Human is thrown into the Boiling Isles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And she proceeds to turn </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity thought she knew completely upside down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At first, Amity can’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>stand </span>
  </em>
  <span>her. Who does she think she is, to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>show up </span>
  </em>
  <span>and ruin Amity’s life and befriend </span>
  <em>
    <span>Willow </span>
  </em>
  <span>and cast magic, despite being a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Human </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>then, </span>
  </em>
  <span>breaking into Amity’s secret place with her siblings and </span>
  <em>
    <span>reading Amity’s diary? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then Luz runs after her, explains, and even saves her life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Makes her laugh)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After that, Amity guesses they’re friends. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And time passes; Luz gets into Hexside, that’s fine, her being at Amity’s school </span>
  <em>
    <span>doesn’t change anything at all, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and then the whole debacle with Willow’s memories happen. She goes with Luz to fix it because even if it had been her fault, </span>
  <em>
    <span>thorns, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she hadn’t meant to go that far, and- and Luz doesn’t judge her for it. Instead, Luz gives her a </span>
  <em>
    <span>smile, </span>
  </em>
  <span>says, </span>
  <em>
    <span>we can fix this together, </span>
  </em>
  <span>is endlessly kind to her, even though this whole thing is </span>
  <em>
    <span>her fault. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Luz hugs her, triumphant and happy and she’s closecloseclose and it's like a tiny bell ringing in Amity’s mind)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity’s read a lot of romance books, okay? She’s read a lot of </span>
  <em>
    <span>books. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>what these feelings mean.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Thorns. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>;;</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz joins her at the library, sometimes, after closing, supposedly when Eda’s out of the house late. She and Amity sit and talk for hours until it’s late at night. Luz calls it their Azura book club meetings, but Azura is almost the topic they talk the least about. Amity doesn’t mind, of course; she welcomes any time she can spend together with the Human. And then, when they’re done and it's dark out, Amity likes to walk her home. The Owl House isn’t too far away from her own home, anyways.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(She knows she would’ve done so even if Blight Manor had been in the complete opposite direction)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Usually they’re silent as they walk, but tonight Luz seems to be feeling more talkative than usual, even for her. She asks Amity questions as they go, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>which classes are you taking, exactly, </span>
  </em>
  <span>or </span>
  <em>
    <span>how rich </span>
  </em>
  <span>is </span>
  <em>
    <span>your family, Amity? Hey, that rhymed! </span>
  </em>
  <span>And it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>nice until they’re halfway there and Luz asks </span>
  <em>
    <span>it. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why’d you dye your hair, Amity?” Luz asks, innocent and well-meaning, but the question freezes Amity in her tracks. Luz pauses, too, watching her with a warm gaze. “I mean, not that it doesn’t look </span>
  <em>
    <span>great </span>
  </em>
  <span>the way it is! It’s just, you had brown hair in Willow’s memories, and- I dunno, I’m curious. The brown looked awesome! Like you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity blinks. “You really thought that?” And</span>
  <em>
    <span> something </span>
  </em>
  <span>is swirling in her chest, going around and around and around and it feels oddly like warmth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz grins, snorting softly. “Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course </span>
  </em>
  <span>I do! Why wouldn’t I?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve actually been meaning to dye it again,” Amity admits, unsure why she’s telling her this. “I- the roots have faded a bit.” She’s telling the truth; she’d actually been planning on doing it tonight. Mother never says anything, but by now Amity knows the hints she drops, the unspoken </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re looking a little less green at the moment, dear.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity usually re-dyes her hair before anything turns brown again, but she’s been... </span>
  <em>
    <span>distracted, </span>
  </em>
  <span>recently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” Luz laughs, bright and happy, and Amity’s heart goes </span>
  <em>
    <span>thump, thump, thump. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“I thought that was on purpose! It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>cool, and I figured that was your intention.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Cool? Amity? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To her horror, she recognizes the ever-familiar feeling of a blush forming on her face. Turning her head to hide it better, she mumbles a quiet, “thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Luz sets off again. Shaking her head fondly, Amity hurries after her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Later that night, she sits on her bed, hair dye in hand, staring into the mirror mounted on her wall. Her hair really is getting more and more brown; any other day she would’ve done it without a second thought. Just part of her schedule. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But now..</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s so cool!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity feels her face flush again, but she doesn't mind too much now that she’s alone. She doesn’t particularly enjoy how susceptible she is to Luz’s suggestions, but how exactly is she expected to let go of her feelings when the Human smiles like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that? </span>
  </em>
  <span>She glances down at the bottle in her hands, then back up at her face. Is she considering changing something about herself; something she’s been doing for </span>
  <em>
    <span>years, </span>
  </em>
  <span>just because Luz said she liked her natural hair? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>…..Yes, she is.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it goes deeper than that, and she knows it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As a kid, before losing Willow, she’d loved her hair. The color, auburn-brown that was softer than Edric and Emira’s pine green, and also she’d liked that she didn’t completely resemble her mother, back when she still dared to even think thoughts like that. She’d only originally colored it </span>
  <em>
    <span>because </span>
  </em>
  <span>of Mother, because Mother had nagged her about it; not openly, of course, but now Amity’s old enough to understand the subtleties in which Mother had manipulated her with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity sighs at her reflection. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hand that’s holding the hair dye tightens slowly. She frowns, irritated. Why can’t she decide what to do? “Make a decision, Blight,” she whispers aloud, staring at herself in the mirror, “are you ready to face Mother about this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The answer comes in an instant; </span>
  <em>
    <span>no. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity sighs. She’s not ready. She’s not brave enough to talk back to her parents; </span>
  <em>
    <span>especially </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mother. She’ll just fall in line, like always, the perfect Blight with perfect magic and perfect grades and perfect green hair. That’s who she is.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Little miss perfect. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Disappointment weighs heavy; she feels, somehow, that she’s letting Luz down. But that’s ridiculous; Luz would never hate her for something as innocuous as dyeing her hair. Luz was too good for that. ….</span>
  <em>
    <span>Right?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nevertheless, she doesn’t think she’s strong enough to </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>do it. Not yet, at least. Maybe next time her roots grow out, she’ll be stronger. Shaking her head at herself, Amity sighs again and heads to the bathroom. She prepares in silence, and once she’s ready, she takes one last look at herself. Thorns, she even kind of likes the brown roots, but she knows Mother doesn’t. With shaking hands, she takes down her ponytail and-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She can’t do it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s so cool!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Thorns. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She can’t do it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity sets the bottle of hair dye down on the counter, giving a frustrated groan. She buries her face in her hands, her heart beating faster and faster. A flash of Luz’s smiling face, saying, “it looks so cool!” She groans again; this girl is going to be the death of her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s going to be in </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>much trouble. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>;;</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We want to meet the Human,” Mother says over dinner, four nights after Eda’s rescue, and it’s only the politeness that’s been hammered into Amity ever since she was three that keeps her from spewing her drink everywhere. “Amity, I’ve heard that you keep being seen with her. Will you arrange a meeting?” Amity looks her mother square in the eye. She’s sending a message, saying </span>
  <em>
    <span>I know, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>we will be talking about this later. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity wonders if she knows about Willow, about Boscha, the details of how exactly Amity had broken her leg. She probably </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>know; she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Karen Blight. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity doesn’t back down from her stare. Across the table, Edric and Emira are watching her with loaded eyes. She knows they’re waiting for some kind of signal; if she wants out of this conversation without answering their mother, they’re ready to provide a distraction. She appreciates that. “Yes, ma’am,” she says aloud, and in the corner of her eye, she sees the twins relax. “I can invite her for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her head is spinning- what could her mother want with Luz? Nothing good. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next day at school, she almost doesn’t do it. Almost just goes back and tells her mother that Luz had said no. But when her mother wants something, she gets it, and Amity knows she’ll get to Luz eventually. It’ll be best if Amity is there to help her out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She catches Luz as she says goodbye to Gus and Willow; gives them a polite nod as Luz turns to see her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, Amity!” Luz grins, and Amity ignores the way her heart jumps. “Hi! Did you need something? I can’t hang out long, but-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My parents want to meet you,” Amity blurts out, awfully </span>
  <em>
    <span>rudely, </span>
  </em>
  <span>interrupting her. “I mean- </span>
  <em>
    <span>thorns, </span>
  </em>
  <span>sorry, Luz, I-” she frowns, and Luz’s eyes are wide. “My Mother and Father </span>
  <em>
    <span>cordially </span>
  </em>
  <span>invite you to join us for dinner this weekend.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Me?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz gasps. She blinks, giving Amity a concerned look. “Wait, how do we feel about your parents these days? Are they going to tell you to do the same thing to me that they did for Willow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity’s heart warms at the Human’s concern. Unfortunately, so does her face. “I don’t think that’s it,” she admits, rubbing her arm, “but I don’t know why, no…. You don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to go, Luz. Not if you don’t want to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her parents might be upset, but this was something Amity was willing to risk their anger for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(That list was getting alarmingly long, actually, and usually had something to do with Luz)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, if you say it’s okay, then it’s okay.” Luz smiles, and Amity doesn’t have the heart to say she </span>
  <em>
    <span>technically </span>
  </em>
  <span>had said nothing of the sort. “I’ll be there. What time is it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>;;</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz shows up, remarkably early for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luz, </span>
  </em>
  <span>which is twenty seconds before the time she’s supposed to be here, and Amity makes sure to greet her at the door. “Hey, Luz,” she says softly, swallowing. Luz is dressed similarly to how she’d come to Grom like, but without the tutu. Her hair is slicked back again, and Amity’s fingers itch to touch it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She doesn’t, of course. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” Luz smiles, but there’s a tinge of nervousness in the look. Amity hates it; hates that </span>
  <em>
    <span>she’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>put it there. “Do I look okay? I figured, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Blights, </span>
  </em>
  <span>so, fancy, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, you look great,” Amity says, and she means it. “So, um- I just want to get a few things straight before you head inside.” She sighs. “I wanted to apologize now, because even if you’re here for the purest of reasons, which I </span>
  <em>
    <span>doubt, </span>
  </em>
  <span>someone’s going to say something to you that’s.. cruel.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please don’t stop being my friend after this, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity pleads internally; she’d never dare say it aloud. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t imagine life without you there beside me. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz, despite her trembling hands, gives Amity a gentle look. “It’s gonna be okay,” she says, “I know enough about your family to know not to take them as a representation of you. You’re different, Amity, and nothing is going to change that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course </span>
  </em>
  <span>she had seen through Amity immediately, gotten to the heart of the problem in an instant. Amity swallows again, her heart fluttering. “Well, if you’re ready…?” On a sudden whim, she holds out her arm, fear striking in the midst of her chest. Luz, of course, just gives her one last smile before looping her arm in through Amity’s without a second thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They head inside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother is </span>
  <em>
    <span>there. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost </span>
  </em>
  <span>drops Luz’s arm, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t meet her mother’s gaze, though, just stares past her, at the flower-print wall. She’s unsure exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>how much </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mother knows about her, about Luz, and she isn’t ready for that conversation yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So this is the Human we’ve heard so much about?” Mother asks, and Amity dislikes the way she looks at Luz; all predatory and glinting eyes. She resists the urge to stand in front of her, to shield her from her mother’s gaze. She knows Luz can protect herself, of course, but Mother is a whole new threat that she’s not sure Luz can wholly handle on her own. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Mother,” she says instead. “This is Luz the Human.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, that’s me!” Luz greets her with a wide smile. “Well- kind of. Luz </span>
  <em>
    <span>the Human</span>
  </em>
  <span> isn’t actually my name, but it works!” Amity shoots her a </span>
  <em>
    <span>look, </span>
  </em>
  <span>one last attempt to convey her apologies ahead of time, but Luz just grins back. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Blight!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A pleasure, I’m sure,” Mother responds curtly, and then, with a grand sweeping gesture of her arm, “shall we head to dinner?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They head to dinner, and Amity tries not to drag her feet as she leads Luz to her seat. She’s sitting next to Amity, which is a small mercy, but that also means she’s sitting next to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mother. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Edric and Emira say hello, both acting far differently than Luz has most likely ever seen them act, and then dinner is served. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every second this goes on, the worse she feels. But for a while, it’s fine. For a while, she almost forgets to be wary; she doesn’t, of course, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost. </span>
  </em>
  <span>That’s because her mother and father like to ease themselves into any new situation, and so they’re oddly courteous to Luz at first. Mother asks her about the Owl </span>
  <em>
    <span>(Shack) </span>
  </em>
  <span>and how she’d met Amity </span>
  <em>
    <span>(they tell a revised story on that one) </span>
  </em>
  <span>and then, how she’s coming along in her studies, how many classes she’s taking and </span>
  <em>
    <span>why, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and, of course, exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>she’s able to do magic. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Forgive me,” Mother says, dabbing her face with a napkin, “but I had been under the impression that Humans </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> do magic. You must be very intelligent, to be able to find out a way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, thanks,” Luz responds, rubbing the back of her neck self-consciously, “but it’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>impressive. I just have to memorize glyphs, that’s all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And normally Amity would jump at this chance, to say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s not true! </span>
  </em>
  <span>To say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luz, you’re brilliant! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Or she’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>try </span>
  </em>
  <span>to say all that and fumble her words up. Probably that last one. She doesn’t like the way Luz puts herself down; and it happens more than she’d expect, especially with all the confidence the Human usually displays. “Luz always has glyphs on hand, though,” she </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>manage to say, swallowing. “And she works so hard to make them, all the time!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz eyes are wide, but she covers it with a small cough. “I guess they are kind of particular,” she admits quietly, “and they don’t really work unless you get them just right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother gives Amity a </span>
  <em>
    <span>look, </span>
  </em>
  <span>effectively silencing her. Then she says, “I’m sure, with all of that power and the fact that you’re the only one using it, you’re bound to get high scores at Hexside, yes?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Amity realizes,</span>
  <em>
    <span> finally,</span>
  </em>
  <span> what this is all about. Her mother is interested in Luz </span>
  <em>
    <span>because </span>
  </em>
  <span>she’s a Human; specifically, a Human who can do </span>
  <em>
    <span>magic. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz is famous, and whether in the good or bad doesn’t matter. She’s the only Human known that has figured out how to wield magic, and Mother-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother wants to </span>
  <em>
    <span>collect </span>
  </em>
  <span>her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity is on her feet without another thought, and everyone’s eyes are drawn to her. Her ears burn, but it’s too late to turn back now. “Luz,” she says, and she tries to pour everything into the word, to try and get her friend to understand just an </span>
  <em>
    <span>inkling </span>
  </em>
  <span>of what was currently happening. “We’re leaving. Can we leave, please?” She keeps her eyes on Luz’s; too scared to look at anyone else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz seems confused, but she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luz, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and so she stands up. “Yeah, okay,” she says, “we can leave. Yeah.” She gives a half-hearted wave goodbye to the twins, who are just sitting there in silence, and then she follows Amity out of the room. Mother and Father don’t say anything, which is almost worse. Amity lets Luz put her coat on, and then they’re gone, leaving the house without another word. Luz, of course, is kind enough to wait until they’re off the Manor grounds to ask. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s going to pay for this back at home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you okay, Amity?” Luz says finally, five minutes later. They’ve been walking slowly in order to account for Amity’s still not quite one-hundred percent healed leg, and Amity stops altogether to meet her eyes. Luz blinks down at her, worry flickering across her face. “Did I do something wrong? I know I’m not very </span>
  <em>
    <span>elite </span>
  </em>
  <span>like Boscha or-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” Amity is quick to shoot that idea down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Thorns, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz, you did nothing wrong! I should’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>brought you there; it’s all my fault, okay? You were perfect.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>As usual, </span>
  </em>
  <span>her mind whispers, and she flushes. This isn’t the time. “It wasn’t you; it was my mother. And, probably, my father, too. I figured out why they wanted to meet you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz frowns. “And why is that?” She asks warily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity sighs, shaking her head. She’d been trying to protect Luz from her parents’ influence, and now where were they? “It’s hard to explain,” she says, trying anyway, because Luz deserves to know, “but my mother likes to… collect people, for lack of a better word. She finds witches that are.. strange, or </span>
  <em>
    <span>odd, </span>
  </em>
  <span>or do magic a different way, and she makes them dependent on her. All of these witches are people with very high potential in their particular coven.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz’s eyes go wide, and Amity thinks she hears her mutter something under her breath, but she isn’t sure. Something about a slughorn..? “That’s awful,” Luz says, “and- what, she wanted me? Why me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well- I imagine because you’re the first Human ever to use magic,” Amity says, frowning slightly, “you’re kind of like a fairy-tale character here.”   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her words make Luz laugh, and she smiles. “That’s funny,” she says, and they slowly start walking again. “Because that’s how I feel about everyone </span>
  <em>
    <span>else </span>
  </em>
  <span>here. To me, I feel like the normal, boring one. Everyone else is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>witch, </span>
  </em>
  <span>so, I’m not very wrong, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity chuckles lightly. “But you’re a witch too,” she says, “even if your style of magic is a little different, it still counts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz blinks, a grin growing on her face that makes Amity’s heart stutter. “I guess you’re right,” she says softly, “maybe I can be counted as a witch now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They’re silent for the rest of the walk to the Owl House.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity walks her up to the door, thankfully without any interruptions from Hooty, and Luz goes inside. Amity turns to leave, but Luz’s voice stops her, “wait!” She looks back, and Luz is poking her head out of the door. “Do you want to stay here tonight?” She asks, her face pinched with worry. “You’re.. going to be in trouble when you get home, aren’t you? Because of me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because of </span>
  <em>
    <span>me,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity corrects. “And, thank you, but no. The longer I stay away the worse it’ll be. I’d rather get it over with.” She smiles softly, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Luz.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your leg won’t bother you, either? Are you really supposed to be walking this much with it still hurt?” Luz frowns. “I can ask Eda to fly you home if you need it- she might not be happy about it, but I can try!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity shakes her head. “My leg is fine,” she says, and her heart is hammering against her ribs. To think that Luz cares </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>much.. about </span>
  <em>
    <span>her? </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Thanks, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay.” Luz sends her a smile. “If you’re sure… I’ll see you tomorrow, Amity.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Goodnight,” Amity says, and then Luz closes the door. Thankfully, the bird tube is still fast asleep, so she doesn't have to deal with its nonsense tonight. And despite what she’d said </span>
  <em>
    <span>(very confidently, of course) </span>
  </em>
  <span>to Luz, she drags her feet all the way home. She can’t stall forever, though, and eventually she finds herself walking up the stairs to the Blight Manor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The twins greet her at the door. They don’t look happy, but they’re not mad, either. Just worried. “Mom wants to talk to you,” Emira says, Edric wincing beside her. “They’re both in her study.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay,” Amity replies. She sighs; </span>
  <em>
    <span>let's get this over with. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amity,” Emira gets her attention again before she can enter. “I don’t know what you figured out, in there, but I’d believe whatever it was. If you need help..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll be right outside the door.” Edric finishes for her. Amity’s always hated their stupid twin-speak, but this time, she can’t be annoyed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity thanks them and heads inside. Mother’s study isn’t very far away, considering the general size of the inside of Blight Manor, and she finds herself standing next to the open door in seconds. Her siblings are behind her, even if they aren’t going inside with her. Amity swallows and steps inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, Amity.” Mother is sitting at her desk, flicking through some papers; Father’s behind her on the couch. “Close the door, please, dear.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity does.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother makes her wait as she looks for a specific form, but, finally, she looks up. “I assume you have a very particular reason for the destruction of this night, Amity,” she says, and her voice is </span>
  <em>
    <span>cold, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and maybe Amity flinches, just a little bit. “I must have missed the announcement that the Owl Shack was on fire, because I can’t think of </span>
  <em>
    <span>any </span>
  </em>
  <span>other reason in which you would leave so suddenly with the Human.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity opens her mouth to respond, but Mother silences her with a glare. Father mumbles absently, “listen to your mother, darling,” from his place in the corner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They both glare at him, but for different reasons. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother sighs. “Thank you, Chad,” she says, but her tone says otherwise. Father doesn’t seem to notice the thinly-veiled insult. “Amity, dear, why don’t you answer me now?”</span>
</p>
<p><span>Amity’s trembling. Her parents have never</span> <span>hurt her or her siblings, </span><em><span>never, </span></em><span>not physically, but the look in Mother’s eyes tells her that that’s not completely off the table. Still, she stands tall. Being told to get rid of Willow and then </span><em><span>doing it </span></em><span>is the biggest regret of her life. She won’t let it, or some other variation of it, happen again. </span></p>
<p>
  <span>She will </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>let her mother get her claws in Luz, not ever. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you,” she says, and her voice shakes, but she doesn’t care. “I don’t know what the end game you have is, but I know how you work, Mother. I won’t let you drag Luz into whatever you’re planning.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother’s face tightens, like clay turning to stone. Amity stands her ground. “You have no idea what my so-called </span>
  <em>
    <span>plans </span>
  </em>
  <span>are, Amity,” she says, hisses, </span>
  <em>
    <span>snaps, </span>
  </em>
  <span>“watch your tone!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But now Amity’s on a roll. “No!” She says, and she almost can’t believe her own audacity. “Not again! After what I did to Willow-” she shakes her head, glaring up at her mother. “I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>still </span>
  </em>
  <span>paying for that! And Luz- I can’t do that again, or </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything </span>
  </em>
  <span>like it! I won’t let you touch her!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Amity,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mother says, slamming her hands down on the desk, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“good children do not. Talk. Back.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Then I’m not a good daughter!” Amity shouts, her voice rising even further, “I will </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>let you touch her!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother sighs sharply. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Chad,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>she says. Father stands up, coming to stand beside her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You will not speak to her like that,” he says, and his voice has more emotion packed into it than Amity’s seen from him, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Of course, it’s just anger. Maybe a generous serving of disappointment, too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe the Amity of three weeks ago would’ve cared. Maybe the Amity of three </span>
  <em>
    <span>hours </span>
  </em>
  <span>ago would’ve cared. But the Amity now, in this moment, </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t care less about her parents’ disappointment. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Instead, she just takes a deep breath, turning away. “I’m going out,” she says over her shoulder, “I’ll- be back. Eventually.” She slides the door open, not even surprised by the twins almost falling all over themselves from where they’d been leaning against it. Edric meets her sullen eyes, asking a silent question, and she shakes her head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She leaves. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And- </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And she doesn’t know where to go. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And- </span>
  <em>
    <span>thorns, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>go to the Owl House; she’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>told </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz she’d be okay. The Owl House is not an option; she doesn’t want Luz to worry, anyways. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This will all blow over by tomorrow,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she tells herself, too hopefully, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luz doesn’t have to know. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So she goes to the only other option.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Of course, as she heads in that direction, it starts raining. A one-person barrier spell isn’t hard to cast, thankfully, and so she doesn’t have to duck for cover)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Willow’s papa answers the door, and his eyes widen pretty dramatically behind his glasses. Amity doesn’t blame him; she must be a sight to see.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl his daughter had been best friends with, the girl who’d emotionally </span>
  <em>
    <span>devastated </span>
  </em>
  <span>his daughter, who spent the next five years bullying her, who was now slowly starting to reconnect with her, who’s wearing a dress, all while in the boiling rain. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>girl, showing up at his doorstep, at midnight, would’ve been shocking enough. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And the fact that she’s crying </span>
  <em>
    <span>probably </span>
  </em>
  <span>doesn’t help. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amity?” He says. “Is that you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ash?” Willow’s dad comes into view. “Who is it?” He halts in the doorway, shooting Amity a bewildered look. “What’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity sniffs, feeling pathetic. “Uh,” she begins, and then realizes she has no idea what to say. “Hi,” is what she ends up with, and, </span>
  <em>
    <span>obviously </span>
  </em>
  <span>that’s not going to cut it. “Um-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amity?” And now </span>
  <em>
    <span>all three </span>
  </em>
  <span>Parks are at the door, watching her flail verbally, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fantastic. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Willow shoots her a concerned look, already more than Amity will ever deserve. “Are you alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi,” she says, and then realizes she’s already said that. “Uh, hi, Willow, u-um..” She blinks. “I can’t go back home. I- I know we’re not fri- would you mind terribly letting me stay here tonight?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Willow frowns. “Is it your parents?” And Amity doesn’t answer, but Willow gets it anyways. “Yeah, sure, c’mon in.” She waves her dads out of the way, beckoning to Amity. Amity follows her, ears burning. Willow’s house is exactly as she remembers it; all warm and cozy and a </span>
  <em>
    <span>home </span>
  </em>
  <span>rather than just a house. It’s nothing like the Blight Manor, and, even with how long it’s been since Amity set foot in here… she finds she still prefers it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s a wood fire burning on the mantle, and it fills the room with a comforting light. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But despite everything, despite feeling safer here than Amity’s felt in </span>
  <em>
    <span>years, </span>
  </em>
  <span>stepping inside only makes her realize what she’s doing. She jerks to the side, meeting Willow’s eyes with anguish. “I shouldn’t be here,” she says, “sorry, sorry- I’m bothering you- you shouldn’t have to deal with me- I can go! Sorry for the bother, I can go-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amity,” Willow says, raising her hands in a placating gesture. “You don’t have to go. It’s okay.” She waits until Amity’s quieted, and then adds, “plus, you don’t look strong enough to be able to hold even a little barrier spell right now, and it’s raining.” The words sting; Amity wants to shout, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m strong! I can be strong! </span>
  </em>
  <span>But she knows it wouldn’t do any good. And…. and Willow’s right. She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>exhausted. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you need anything, honey?” It’s Willow’s papa - Amity remembers his name is </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ash </span>
  </em>
  <span>- who speaks up next. He’s watching her with the same concern Willow is; his husband standing just behind him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll be okay, papa,” Willow says, shooting her parents a look. “You can go to bed now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They don’t seem completely convinced, but eventually they nod and trod off; vanishing behind a door that was presumably their bedroom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry,” Amity says again, because she needs to apologize, again, and again, and again to Willow. “I- we’re not even very close anymore, and I’m taking advantage of you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Willow shakes her head. “We’re friends again, Amity,” she tells her, without the slightest hesitation, “you’re allowed to lean on me, okay?” She smiles, and then gestures towards the hallway. “You remember the way to my room, right? I’m gonna go see if I can find you some sleep-clothes. You go and wait there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity does as she’s told, numb. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Willow’s room is-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Thorns, it’s the same.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sure, there are different books on the shelves, the walls have been painted a new color, there different pictures on the wall </span>
  <em>
    <span>(Amity notices that there are no more pictures of </span>
  </em>
  <span>her </span>
  <em>
    <span>anymore, not that she blames her) </span>
  </em>
  <span>but so many other things are the same. Willow still has her flower-print bed covers. She still has </span>
  <em>
    <span>dozens </span>
  </em>
  <span>of plants, growing anywhere there’s space. She still has her schoolbooks, stacked in the same spot, on the desk closest to the door. She still has the mountain of pillows and stuffed animals sitting on the side of the bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing this, right now, it’s almost too much for Amity to bear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then Willow’s back, coming into her room with a forced casualty that makes Amity wince. “I think these’ll fit you,” Willow says, holding out a pile of clothing to her, “they might be a little big on you, because you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>tiny</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s perfect,” Amity says, taking it from her. She’s too tired to even be irritated at the jab against her size. “Thank you, Willow.. You really didn’t have to do this. I know you probably don’t want me here- and that’s fine, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t think of anywhere else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Willow laughs, shaking her head. “Again,” she says, “it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>okay. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I know you wouldn’t be here without a very good reason. We can talk about it if you want to.” She squints, searching Amity’s eyes. “Or not, if you don’t want to. We can just pretend we’re little again, having a sleepover.” She smiles, warm and caring and everything Amity doesn’t deserve. “Whichever one works for me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you,” is all Amity can choke out. “Um- I’m going to go change. I remember where the bathroom is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, changing into Willow’s old pajamas doesn’t take nearly as long as Amity could have hoped, and she’s back in Willow’s room just minutes later.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s… awkward, to say the least. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity sits down in a chair; Willow on her bed, and then they just stay like that for a few minutes, each unable to think of what to say first. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, Amity speaks. “I-” she says, or </span>
  <em>
    <span>tries </span>
  </em>
  <span>to, because Willow’s head snaps up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you apologize again, or thank me, then you’re sleeping without a blanket tonight,” she says warningly, and Amity’s eyes go wide. They stare at each other for a moment before each breaking into soft laughter. “I know you, Amity, even now,” Willow continues, “so what’s up? It had to have been something </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad, </span>
  </em>
  <span>if you’re here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Thorns, she’s missed her)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, uh-” Amity laughs again, because if she doesn’t, she’s going to start crying again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This was the night Luz came over to your house, right?” Willow asks. Amity starts; she hadn’t known Willow knew about that, but it made sense that Luz would tell her. “Does </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>have something to do with her, and why you’re here and not at the Owl House?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity swallows. “Yes,” she replies honestly. She looks down at her feet. “Luz was- Luz was perfect, of course, even though she was under so much pressure, and I- it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>them, </span>
  </em>
  <span>of course, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>them, and I’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>hoped </span>
  </em>
  <span>it would work out but-” she makes a conscious effort to reel it in; Willow doesn’t need to know every detail. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was your parents,” Willow says, and it isn’t a question. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity nods shakily. “It was my parents,” she mutters, sullenly. “I realized that the reason they wanted to meet Luz had nothing to do with me, or anything concerning progress. They just wanted to see if they could make a reputation out of her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That sounds like them,” Willow says. Amity appreciates that she’s let her speak </span>
  <em>
    <span>(re: word-vomit) </span>
  </em>
  <span>without much narration on her part. “So, what happened after that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so Amity tells her. She tells her about the way she took Luz and stormed out, how she walked Luz home, saying she’d be okay, how she’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>talked back to her parents. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Willow listens as she talks, and she never interrupts. Amity finishes with a, “and I just </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>go to the Owl House, not after I </span>
  <em>
    <span>said </span>
  </em>
  <span>I’d be fine, so this was the only other place I could think of.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Willow says, “that’s okay,” and then, “what are you planning to do about your parents?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I’m not sure,” Amity admits. “I… I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to the way it was. Not fully, at least. Although, they might just ignore everything that happened tonight. You never know with them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, that’s a thing to worry about tomorrow,” Willow smiles at her, and it feels so reminiscent of when they were younger that Amity can hardly stand it, “for now, we can sleep, if you want.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, please,” says Amity, stifling a yawn. “Today’s been… a day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>;;</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next morning, Amity leaves the Park household with a lighter heart. She waves goodbye to Willow, who waves back with a small smile. Willow had promised not to mention anything about this to Luz, even though Amity’s sure she’ll spill the news herself at some point. Luz’s presence has a tendency to make her blurt out </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And she starts to head back to the Blight Manor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s empty when she gets there. Edric and Emira are probably out terrorizing some other poor soul, for once, and her parents are almost definitely at work, despite both of them being off for the day. Amity doesn’t mind; in fact, she welcomes the solitude. Except, that meant that for the entire day, Amity has nothing to distract herself from the punishment she’s sure will be coming once her father and mother got home. By the time Edric and Emira get back from whatever they’ve been doing, she’s worked herself up so much that she flinches at the sounds of feet coming up the steps. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s only Ed and Em, get a grip, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thinks furiously. Of course, it’s never </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ed and Em. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Edric’s the first to poke his head into her room, because all three of them know that if it was Emira doing it she’d get an Abomination to the face. “Hey, Mittens,” he says, “how’re you doing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?” Amity asks defensively. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Too </span>
  </em>
  <span>defensively. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean-” Emira manages to materialize out of nowhere right next to her twin. “Things </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>get a little crazy last night. You yelled at mom and dad.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>yell at mom and dad,” Edric says. “Uh- that was like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>cool, by the way. Emi thinks so, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, man!” Emira grins. “I’ve been waiting fourteen years to watch you put them in their place, and it was worth the wait!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity blinks. She wants to share their confidence, their optimism, wants to say something like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>yeah, it felt good, </span>
  </em>
  <span>because it </span>
  <em>
    <span>had, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but all that comes out is a shaky, wet, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m going to be in so much trouble.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The twins falter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Edric says, as Emira goes, “oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Amity,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>and they both enter the room fully. They come closer, but don’t touch her, something she appreciates. “You’ll be okay. You know that, right?” It’s Emira, giving Amity a concerned look. “Even if they’re mad, now you know how to fight back. You’re stronger, now. And if you need help-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-We’re here,” Edric finishes for her. Amity looks down; unable to face his shining eyes. “Always, Amity,” the use of her real name instead of the ever-annoying nickname tells her he’s serious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We may not act like the best siblings,” Emira says, “but we are here for you if you need us. You know that, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>She’snotgoingtocryshe’snotgoingtocryshe’snotgoingtocry-</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Amity grumbles half-heartedly, and then, softer, “I know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The twins smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll leave you alone now,” Edric says, starting to back out of the room, “see you at dinner, okay, Mittens?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’ll be </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Emira adds, just as they both disappear from sight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oddly enough, Amity feels better now. She snickers softly to herself; they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>ridiculous. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then dinner time rolls around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mother and Father have been home for an hour now - Amity had </span>
  <em>
    <span>heard </span>
  </em>
  <span>them get back - but they hadn’t bothered her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Yet)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knows they’re just waiting until dinner, until they can corner her all they’d like. She tells herself she’s prepared; that she won’t back down, but.. Even with her siblings’ support, it still scares her. Still, Amity heads downstairs at exactly six-twenty-five, like usual. As she reaches the entrance to the dining room, she runs into her brother, who had been attempting to pretend that he isn’t waiting for her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Edric meets her eyes; a silent question, </span>
  <em>
    <span>are you okay? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity blinks back; </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and they enter. Emira’s already at the table, and she doesn’t look up as they take their seats. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And they wait. At exactly six-twenty-nine, Father enters from the doorway that led the way back to his study. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good evening,” Father says, sitting down, and it’s only muscle-memory that makes Amity respond with the same. The twins don’t say anything at all. Father pulls out a paper - work, most likely - and starts to read. And then Mother enters the room. Her presence dwarfs the room like always, and Amity stiffens. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> sure to start, now that Mother’s here. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Evening, darlings,” Mother says, and Amity starts at the way she says it, so casual, so usual, like nothing’s changed. “It’s Wildcat Chops for supper tonight, isn’t it?” No one responds, but even </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>normal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And that’s it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity’s on edge for the entirety of dinner, and she sees that Ed and Em aren’t much better. But despite that, Mother and Father never speak. They all eat in silence, and when they’re done, Father stands up and leaves, like usual. Mother takes a bit longer to finish, but once she does, she goes the same way, leaving her children behind, dumb-struck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell,” Emira says, and Edric doesn’t even tell her off for swearing. “That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>weird.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity blinks, feeling </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>stir in her chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was like nothing had ever happened,” she says quietly, “like..” Like they couldn’t do anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The thought is ridiculous; they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chad and Karen Blight, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but.. she can’t think of any other reason as to why she hasn’t been punished for lashing out last night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” Edric says, and the manic smile forming on his face looks how Amity </span>
  <em>
    <span>feels. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“I- I guess that’s that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>be that easy,” Amity shakes her head doubtfully. “It’ll be tomorrow, maybe- or, in a week. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>talked back; </span>
  </em>
  <span>they wouldn’t just let me do that, would they?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Emira frowns. “What Ed and I have learned about mom and dad,” she begins, “is that, despite how much they try to convince you that they are… they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>all-powerful.” Amity opens her mouth, probably to argue, but Emira’s not done. “I mean- they let Ed and I do all kinds of stuff, and they haven’t been able to smother us yet. Why would it be any different when it comes to you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity stares at the table. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They’ve always been harder on me than you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thinks, but, maybe, that’s not even true. Maybe they’re just hard on Ed and Em in a different way, one that Amity hadn’t ever noticed. Maybe they’re all the most miserable person in this house. “Maybe,” she says finally, but hope is rising in her chest. If her parents truly can’t do anything if she doesn't just roll over for them… That changes a lot of things. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stands up. “I’m going to go to bed,” she says, despite it only being around eight at night tomorrow being a weekend. “G’night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They both say their goodnights and she leaves them alone in the dining room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Only once she’s in her room, her safe space, does Amity allow herself to actually think deeply about the consequences of everything that has happened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her parents hadn’t been able to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They hadn’t tried to force her to get rid of Luz, or threaten to kick her out, or anything else her overstressed mind had come up with this very same day. They’d just acted like nothing had happened; like Amity would go back to being their perfect little daughter with her perfect friends and her perfect personality. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They’d kind of seemed almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>powerless. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And now that she’s seen firsthand what her parents will do when she tries to rebel - a flat out </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing </span>
  </em>
  <span>- she finds that her confidence has risen, just a bit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And it’s risen enough for her to do what she’s been thinking about for </span>
  <em>
    <span>years. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The spell to remove hair dye is exceedingly simple; a child could do it, and it only takes a few minutes of reading before she’s comfortable enough to cast it. Her fingers shake as she does, but-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She does it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And when her eyes meet her reflection’s, she-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She smiles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>;;</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next day she goes to The Owl House as soon as she wakes up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity’s too excited to even be annoyed by Hooty, and so she just ignores him as Eda greets her at the door. “Ah,” the Owl Lady says, and she doesn’t even look surprised. “C’mon in, kid, they’re upstairs in her room.” She steps to the side, allowing Amity to enter. “You know how to get there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, ma’am,” Amity says, and then blinks. “Er- Ms. Owl Lady…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eda snorts with laughter, slapping her harshly on the back. “You’re so uptight, kid. If you need to call me </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything, </span>
  </em>
  <span>just call me Eda.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, sure,” Amity agrees quickly. She still doesn’t know how she’s supposed to act around Luz’s mentor, and the fact that Lilith was now staying here as well didn’t make things any less awkward. She’s also never been asked by an adult to use their first name. She’ll probably avoid addressing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eda </span>
  </em>
  <span>on her own, just to be safe. Amity heads upstairs with Eda still chuckling behind her, and, unfortunately, runs into her own ex-mentor at the top. Lilith looks surprised to see her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” she says, and Amity tenses. “You-” she blinks. “I had not been aware you wanted to dye your hair.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity pauses. “This is my natural color,” she says, and Lilith’s eyes go wide. “You didn’t know that?” But as she says it, she realizes that of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course </span>
  </em>
  <span>Lilith didn’t know that. By the time she’d met her, Amity’s hair had been green for a while already. She must’ve just assumed, and why wouldn’t she?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, well.” Lilith dips her head to her, almost painfully awkward. “It looks.. nice, Amity.” It seems like a struggle for her to use Amity’s first name, and Amity doesn't blame her. She has to remind herself to not call Lilith </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ms. Clawthorne </span>
  </em>
  <span>anymore as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, Lilith Clawthorne’s praise will never not make Amity gleam with pride, be it about her hair or her magic. She nods politely, “thank you, ma’am.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lilith nods again, then sighs and says, “well, I expect you’re not here to see </span>
  <em>
    <span>me. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I’ll leave you be. You know where they are?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity nods, says, “yes, ma’am, thank you”, and Lilith passes her, heading down to greet Eda for the day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then Amity’s staring at a closed door. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luz’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>closed door. She can hear them behind it; Willow’s quiet voice and Gus butting in, Luz’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>laugh.. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity takes a deep breath. This is ridiculous; there’s nothing to be nervous about!  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Ha. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity’s never really been in denial about her feelings to Luz, not to herself, at least, and she’s not about to start now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s worried about Luz’s reaction; of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course </span>
  </em>
  <span>she is. What if Luz doesn’t like it? She’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>said </span>
  </em>
  <span>that she’d liked Amity’s natural hair, but that had been her looking at Amity when she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>nine. </span>
  </em>
  <span>What if she doesn’t look good with it anymore?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity sucks in another breath. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>has </span>
  </em>
  <span>to do this. It’s not hard; she just has to open the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>C’mon, Blight, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thinks, frustrated, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’ve got this. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She swings the door open. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Perhaps a </span>
  <em>
    <span>tad </span>
  </em>
  <span>too roughly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz, Gus, and Willow are all sitting on the floor on top of Luz’s sleeping bag. Gus is holding Luz’s scroll, and Willow’s laughing at something Luz had just said. Luz looks up, starts to say, “Amity! How are yo-” but her voice catches in her throat and her words hang there in the air, unfinished.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Willow looks surprised. Amity looks to her, first, stepping in slowly and closing the door behind her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Willow is perhaps one of the only people who truly understands the reason behind Amity’s hair, even if they hadn’t been friends anymore when Amity did it. And, for some reason, her approval still means a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot </span>
  </em>
  <span>to Amity, even after all these years. But her friend </span>
  <em>
    <span>(her friend!!) </span>
  </em>
  <span>smiles, honest and happy, and says, softly, “you look like yourself, Amity,” and just like that, so many doubts disappear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To his credit, Gus says, “oh! That’s so cool!” Before going right back to his study of Luz’s Human scroll. Amity appreciates the positive comment; they aren’t particularly close, but he’s still one of Luz and Willow’s best friends. But, of course, it hadn’t been </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>reaction that had kept Amity awake all throughout last night. She hesitantly turns her gaze towards the last person occupying the room, who hasn’t yet said a word. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luz…. isn’t moving. Her eyes are wide, her mouth hanging slightly open, and her eyes almost seem to </span>
  <em>
    <span>sparkle </span>
  </em>
  <span>as she </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally </span>
  </em>
  <span>reacts, gasping dramatically, bringing her hands up to cup her own face.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “Oh dios mío!” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Amity flushes a bright red, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. Is that a good reaction? Or-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Human seems to snap out of it, then, whatever reverie she’d been in. “I- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Amity,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>she gasps again, standing up, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>thorns, she’s coming closer, abort, abort-! </span>
  </em>
  <span>“You are no longer allowed to dye your hair again, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity blinks, taking a few steps back in a futile attempt to get away from that shining, impossibly brown gaze. “Why is that?” She croaks. Luz’s grin grows impossibly large as she leans </span>
  <em>
    <span>even closer. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity’s back hits the door, cursing herself for having shut it when she came in, and she realizes, with a stuttering heart, that she’s trapped. She can’t escape the Human’s affection. Her brain shuts down, which is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>helpful in this moment, and she swallows, unable to speak. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then Luz hugs her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stunned, Amity can do nothing but hug her back. She makes eye contact with Willow, still sitting on the floor behind Luz, and her old friend gives her another kind smile before pointedly turning her gaze away from them. Luz then says, softly, so only she can hear, “it looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>good on you, Amity. I don’t want to assume, but… I have to agree with what Willow said. You look like </span>
  <em>
    <span>you.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity gives herself a mental shake. She will </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>cry about this. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>refuses. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But her words do crack slightly as she returns the hug even tighter. “Thanks, Luz.” And despite the embarrassment of doing this right in front of Gus and Willow, she lets herself forget about that for the time being as she buries her nose into the Human’s shoulder. Luz is always</span>
  <em>
    <span> so warm, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and today is no different. She relishes these moments, full of comfort and warmth and safety.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>safe </span>
  </em>
  <span>with Luz around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then Luz pulls back, because hugs aren’t supposed to last an entire day, unfortunately. She does give Amity another one of her smiles, though, so it’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>too </span>
  </em>
  <span>bad. “Oh!” Her eyes widen, and she takes Amity’s hand </span>
  <em>
    <span>(HER HAND!!) </span>
  </em>
  <span>to pull her back towards Willow and Gus, sitting them both down next to their friends. “Okay! So, you’re the tiebreaker- what'd ya think?” She snatches her scroll-thing out of Gus’ hands and excitedly shows Amity two different pictures. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Which one should I use for my wallpaper?” She asks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One picture has Luz hugging Eda close to her, obviously having surprised her, because the Owl Lady’s eyes are wide and she’s clearly caught off guard. King is in the background, confused, and Luz’s smile is as captivating as always, even in just a photo. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The second picture, though, has </span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz is in the front, of course, sitting on the couch with Willow and Gus leaning over on her right side. Eda is standing behind the couch, King in her arms, with an oddly content smile as she looks at the camera. Amity doesn’t remember this moment, and the reason why she doesn’t is obvious; in the picture, she’s asleep, her head resting gently against Luz’s shoulder. Her face reddens as she looks at it; she hadn’t been aware she did that. She’d known she’d fallen asleep once while at the Owl House, but that she did </span>
  <em>
    <span>on top </span>
  </em>
  <span>of Luz was new information. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So?” Luz asks again, “which one do you think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity looks at herself again; sleeping, she looks so peaceful. The answer, of course, os obvious. Blushing lightly, she mutters, “um, I kind of like the second one better.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ugh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>fine,” Gus groans grumpily, “I just think there’s too much going on in that one, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>whatever!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He’s not actually mad, though, and they all laugh as his grousing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amity spends the rest of the day at the Owl House, and it’s one of the best days of her life. This is nothing like the countless days she’s spent at Boscha’s house, or Skara’s; instead of the tense feeling she’d get, the pressure to actually engage with them, she feels a warmth inside of her that only grows the longer she stays. Instead of a harsh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“ugh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you always ignore us!” she gets an, “Amity!! Do you wanna sleep over tonight?” Boscha and Skara’s presence, whether on purpose or not, had always forced her to be on edge. On the other hand, Luz, Willow, and even Gus, they let Amity be the person she actually is. They even </span>
  <em>
    <span>like </span>
  </em>
  <span>that person. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>much better. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And maybe her parents will punish her for this. Maybe they won’t; she has no idea. But as she laughs at Gus’ jokes and puts up with Willow’s teasing and allows herself to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>look </span>
  </em>
  <span>at Luz sometimes, at her brightness, she realizes that she’s not worried about </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not right now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She catches a glance of herself, reflected in the windows of the rooms, and her hair catches her eye, still odd and new and </span>
  <em>
    <span>brown, brown, brown. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And she-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Thorns, they’d been right.</span>
  </em>
  <span>She feels like </span>
  <em>
    <span>herself. </span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so that was a ride, wasn't it? I applaud you all who saw the word count and weren't turned away &lt;3<br/>btw I don't actually think the Blight parents will let Amity get away with something like this as much in the show, but I didn't want to drag on much longer, so I had them be a bit more mellow in this story. I hope they weren't too out of character for you. </p>
<p>uh, well, I hope you enjoyed reading this!! I'm so glad I managed to finish it this weekend. I'm not too sure what else there is to say, so ill see you later!! thank you SO much for reading!! &lt;333</p></blockquote></div></div>
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